miércoles, 19 de julio de 2017

Jesús "Bubu" Negrón, "The Back Portrait" at High Line Art, New York

Jesús “Bubu” Negrón
creates sculptures and performances by inserting small gestures into the
everyday landscape: for example, creating a carpet out of cigarette butts
collected by street sweepers, or mending a cracking bronze public sculpture
with a plaster cast. Negrón is inspired by workers who are experts in one area
— for example, street sketch artists, gardeners, and artisans — and sees their
work not just as a paying job, but as a cultural practice. Negrón himself has
worked among experts in these fields, blurring the lines between “artist” and
“artisan,” and questioning art world traditions.

For the High Line,
Negrón presents a new iteration of his project The Back Project, an ongoing
drawing project wherein he draws the backs of willing visitors, and then gives
the sitter the original drawing, keeping a photocopy for himself. Sitters are
accepted on a first-come-first-served basis.

This work was
conceived for the Fiesta de la Calle San Sebastián in San Juan, Puerto Rico in
2000, where Negrón took on the role of a street sketch artist, but solely
focusing on visitors’ backs. He sold each portrait on a sliding scale,
depending on the financial situation of the participant. When the project
travelled to Art Miami in 2002, The Back Portrait became Negrón’s act of
rebellion within the art fair, displayed among high-priced, inaccessible artworks.

Jesús “Bubu” Negrón (b. 1975, Barceloneta,
Puerto Rico) lives and works in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Recent solo exhibitions have been presented
internationally at venues including Embajada, San Juan (2016); Fondazione
Pistoletto, Biella, Italy (2012); and with Creative Time, New York (2012). His
work has been included in group exhibition at institutions including Instituto
de Visión, Bogotá, Colombia (2016) and Travesía Cuatro, Madrid, Spain (2013).
His work was also included in La Gran Bienal Tropical, San Juan (2016).